Something's Amiss in Brooklyn
by AJ McLeod
Summary: Erin lives with her brother Spot Conlon in a large Brooklyn mansion, follow the newsies along in a whirlwind of murder, decit, and betrayal. Newsies AU, set in 1950
1. Uno

**So I'm reposting this sans all the oc's. I lost the orignal when my computer crashed forever and a day ago...but this particular fic has been an albatross around my neck for quite sometime. So now I'm coming back and not only re uploading what's already been written, I'm...drumroll please...finishing it! And mark my words finished it shall be! I'm going to put a disclaimer up one time and one time only. I do not own Newsies. If I did...the premier for the musical would have been in Texas where I live. All other characters (i.e. Erin, Hannah, Zoey, and Jace) belong to me...please don't steal them. Thank you. Reviews are welcome...flames will be extinguished promptly.**

* * *

Jack Kelly was a private investigator in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The year was 1950, the war was over and he was back in his beloved city, well that's only half true, he really wanted to be in Santa Fe, New Mexico…but that's a different story altogether. He was sitting in his office, feet propped up on the desk. He'd just lit a cigarette and was thoroughly enjoying it when SHE walked in. The dame was crawling with that high class, hoity-toity attitude. He'd felt the change in the atmosphere the minute she stepped off the elevator. Her high heels clicked on the tile of the hallway as she moved to the office at the end. He didn't remember anything like this in the old Dick Tracy comics he read as a kid. A moment later a knock was heard on the door.

"Come in," a voice called from inside.

"Mr. Kelly?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint, Mr. Kelly is my employer, and I take it you would like to see him," Sarah Jacobs, Jack's secretary, said sitting right inside the door.

"Yes please," the first one said quietly.

"What's your name?" Sarah asked.

"Conlon, Erin Conlon."

"Mr. Kelly, an Erin Conlon to see you," she told her employer via the intercom sitting on her desk.

"Well, then send her in." Jack's disembodied voice replied over the speaker.

"Yes Jack," Sarah said with a sarcastic eye roll.

The knob turned just before the door opened to reveal a young woman of about 22 dressed in a black, form fitting dress. She had an apple blossom complexion that was partially covered by the veil from her hat and a pair of the reddest lips he'd ever seen.

"Mr. Kelly?" She asked innocently.

"Miss Conlon, I presume?"

"Yes sir. I am in dire need of your services."

"What can I do for you Miss Conlon?" He asked, not even sure that he wanted to take the case.

"Well, you see, my father passed away some time ago, leaving my brother and me in the care of our old butler. While he was just our butler, he was like family to us. I returned home early this afternoon to find him murdered," she explained.

"Murdered? Well now, that's interesting. How do you know it was murder?"

"When I arrived home, found my room completely ransacked and saw Kloppman on the floor in my brother's office with a knife in his chest," Erin continued, her eyes beginning to water profusely.

"There, there now don't cry," Jack said being a sucker for sob stories. He lent her his handkerchief, which she promptly used to dry her eyes.

"Then you'll help me?" she asked giving him the type of eyes one would associate with a puppy.

"I'll see what I can do," he smirked.

"Oh thank you Mr. Kelly, this means so much to me!"

"Would you mind if I took a look at things?" Jack asked wanting to get to the crime scene while it was still relatively new.

"That would be fine Mr. Kelly," Erin said sniffling a bit.

"Then right this way Miss Conlon," Jack grinned, grabbing his hat and trench coat from the rack by the door, which he then opened for her. He paused just before they turned into the hall to talk to Sarah. "I'll be out late, can you lock up tonight?" He asked.

"Yes Jack," Sarah sighed, this was often the story with Jack. Stay behind and hold down the fort while I take some other girl out. It annoyed her more when she first started to work for Jack since she'd had a not so small crush on him, but things changed when she saw that he wasn't interested.

Erin led the way down to the lobby where Jack was about to hail a taxi, but paused when Erin led him to a car that was idling at the curb.

"Home please, Gabriel," she said closing the door behind her.

"Yes ma'am," Gabriel, the Conlon's driver, replied putting the car into gear and pulling out into traffic.

"Thank you so much for helping my brother and I Mr. Kelly," Erin said softly once they were on their way.

"It's my pleasure Miss Conlon," he told her with a grin. "How could I say no to a pretty lady such as yourself?"

"Mr. Kelly, you flatter me."

"I only speak the truth."

"Thank you," she blushed.

"You are most welcome."

Sometime later they arrived in front of a large mansion in the heart of Brooklyn. He let out a low whistle at the sight of the place. It took up half the block with its impressive red brick walls that were dotted with multiple windows.

"Wow," Jack murmured, staring in awe.

"It is rather large, but it is useful at times."

"I'm sure it is, Miss Conlon," he told her following her into an opulent entryway.

"Right this way Mr. Kelly," Erin said leading him up a flight of stairs. They walked up the stairs into the office, which looked like London after the Blitzkrieg. And true to her word, the old butler was laying in the middle of the floor with a knife in his chest and a pool of blood gathering on the floor.

"Have you called the police?" Jack asked Erin.

"Yes Mr. Kelly, they were the ones who recommended you to me."

"Then did they say to call them to clean this up?"

"Yes they did."

"Then go ahead and call them. I'll take a look before they get here," Jack said looking at the room.

"Erin, is that you?" A voice asked from the hallway.

"Yes, I'm in the study," Erin replied. A short young man with dirty blonde hair and ice blue eyes stood in the doorway leaning against the frame.

"If you'll excuse me I'm going to call the police to get this cleaned up."

"Aight Erin, I'm Sean Conlon, though everyone calls me Spot," he said shaking Jack's hand as Erin left the room.

"Jack Kelly."

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Kelly."

"Please, call me Jack."

"Well, I'm sure Erin told you what happened," Spot said.

"She did yes; do you have any idea of who might want to kill Mr. Kloppman?" Jack asked getting a notepad out of his pocket.

"I know of people who want to kill me. I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill Kloppy."

"Would any of those who want to kill perhaps have killed him to get to you?"

"Maybe, I don't know I suppose they could," Spot answered as Erin came back.

"The police are on their way," she announced entering the room.

"Good, Miss Conlon, do you know anyone who would want to kill Mr. Kloppman?" Jack asked.

"Well, that's the funny thing about it Mr. Kelly, I know several," she said and continued when Jack raised an eyebrow. "You see, Kloppman had a way of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and he knew things about people, things that they wouldn't want others to know. He'd never say anything about it, that's just the type of person he was. But if someone thought that Kloppman would expose them, they'd probably have reason to murder him."

"Really now?" Jack asked.

"Yes sir."

"How would I find these people?"

"He has an address book, look through it," Spot shrugged. "Hey Erin, I've gotta go meet someone, I'll be back late, don't wait up."

"Spot not now," Erin said a look of pleading on her face.

"I'll see ya later, aight?"

"No it's not all right," Erin retorted.

"We'll talk about this later," he said a dark look crossing his face. Erin knew that look and gave him a dark look of her own before nodding.

"And if you'll excuse me Miss Conlon, I need to go as well," Jack apologized.

"It's quite all right Mr. Kelly. Can I get Gabriel to drive you home?" She asked.

"No, ma'am, I much prefer to walk, it helps me think."

"You'll be in contact then?"

"Yes Miss Conlon. I'm going to do some snooping around the house tomorrow if it's agreeable."

"Do you know approximately what time you'll be here Mr. Kelly?" Erin asked walking him to the door.

"What time is best for you?"

"Does 10 tomorrow morning sound good?"

"It does indeed. I will see you then." Jack said kissing her hand before leaving. Erin closed the door after him and heaved a sigh before making her way to her room and taking off her hat. She sat in front of her vanity and gazed at her reflection in the mirror before she washed her face and changed into her dressing gown. Even though Spot had said not to wait up for him, she couldn't sleep and so she ended up reading a book in front of the fire.

As soon as Spot left he went to Tibby's diner and sat in a booth, waiting for his girlfriend to show up. They'd been secretly dating for some time now, though it had been hard keeping the secret especially from her family. He knew that they had no real love for him, but as the saying goes, "the course of true love never did run smooth." As he sat deep in thought, his mind turned toward his business…that had been the primary part of why they each agreed to meet in Manhattan since the fewer people who knew where he was the better. He hadn't been there long when a girl of 5'6" with long brown hair and brown eyes entered the restaurant. She smiled and made her way over to him.

"Hey there handsome, what's a guy like you doin alone in a place like this?" She asked sitting down.

"I'm waitin for my beautiful clandestine girlfriend to get here," Spot smiled.

"Really? What's her name?"

"Sarah. She looks a lot like you."

"Well, that's funny because my name just happens to be Sarah," she grinned.

"How are you?" Spot asked taking a sip of coffee.

"Good, we had a slow day. This might be a strange question, but do you have a sister?"

"Yeah, Erin. Why?"

"Well she came by the office today, looking for Jack."

"We've met," Spot said with a roll of his eyes.

"I can see that. Most males have that reaction to Jack, some females too," Sarah chuckled. They enjoyed their dinner together but all too soon it was time for them to part ways. They walked outside hand-in-hand.

"Thank you for dinner, Spot," Sarah said turning to face him.

"You are most welcome. Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?" he asked.

"I'll be fine. Besides, David will be waiting for me," she said her brown eyes showing that she wished she could be with him for a little while longer. Though David had introduced them, he was the main reason for the secret relationship. He was well aware of Spot's line of work and he didn't want his sister to have a thing to do with it, not that he'd tell her what it was.

"Okay, bye then, be safe," he said kissing her lightly.

"You too," Sarah smiled. Spot's business dealings were less than pleasant and Sarah knew it, though she didn't know exactly what he did since he told her not to ask. Some of the people he dealt with were either mafia hit men or members of the underground and at times had threatened to kill him. He didn't want them knowing anything about her, which was another reason he kept their relationship secret, as well as every other relationship he had. He hadn't told Erin simply because if anyone tried to get it out of her, she'd be able to answer honestly that she knew nothing of it. Spot watched Sarah walk off toward her apartment in Manhattan while he turned the other way back to Brooklyn.

Once he had gotten there he entered as quietly as he could trying not to wake the entire house. He was creeping toward the stairs when he heard a soft "ahem" from behind.

"Sir, you should know your sister is still awake so trying to get past her unnoticed is impossible," Zoey the head maid for the household said from the dining room.

"Thank you for the notice," Spot said turning around.

"Also if you happen to see Hannah before you go to bed will you tell her to see me please?"

"Yes I will," Spot laughed. Zoey had grown up working for the Conlon family; in fact she was almost as close to them as Kloppman had been. As he ascended the stairs he thought of the old man's murder. He sincerely hoped it hadn't been an underground member who was trying to get to him. He'd done a good job so far of keeping the underground from his family, but that could change in the blink of an eye. He hoped that he'd be ready for it. He walked by Erin's door to find the light on and the door open. She was sitting in a wing back chair staring into the fire.

"Erin?" He asked leaning on the doorframe. Apparently he startled her because she jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, Spot, come in," she said turning to face him.

"What's going on?" he asked sitting in an opposite chair.

"Just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Today, I can't believe he's gone," she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Yeah, me either," Spot agreed the shock finally starting to set in.

"Who would kill him? He was such a sweet old man, he'd never even hurt a fly

"I don't know Erin, I really don't know."

"Ugh, I'm blubbering like an infant," Erin said drying her eyes.

"I wouldn't say infant," Spot teased. Erin ignored his comment with a roll of her eyes.

"Where did you go tonight?"

"Erin," Spot sighed. "We've been over this."

"Spot, I don't see the harm in you telling me where you're going."

"I do, if I tell you where I'm going then you would have to lie if someone asked you where I was, I don't want you lying for me," Spot said with finality.

"And you think that whoever it is that would be asking me where you were wouldn't get a kick out of beating it out of me for the heck of it?" She asked raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Erin"

"Spot"

"You've had a long day, get some rest," Spot said kissing the top of her head.

"You too," Erin replied standing and closing the door after he left.


	2. Dos

**Two updates in one day! What's this? I acutally just remembered that I had several chapters for this written and have forgotten to post them...c'est la vie! And now the plot thickens a bit, and I'm having to refrain from making noises :D Anyway please enjoy...and support Newsies on Broadway! Please don't flame, I just cleaned out the fireplace, thank you!**

* * *

Nick "Mush" Meyers opened the door to the bakery he worked at making the bell above the door jingle.

"Nick, is that you?" The owner called.

"Yeah Davie, it's me, Mush," he said putting the apron on over his head.

"Mush, technically while you're here, I know you as Nick," David Jacobs said wiping the flour off his hands.

"Yeah whatever Dave," Mush said putting his hat and other paraphernalia in the back of the store. "What have we got today?" He asked.

"Mrs. Bleaker needs 2 cakes, Holly Davis ordered a dozen sugar cookies, and then the usual," David said motioning to the orders hanging on the wall.

"So you need me to bake or run the register?" Mush asked leaning on the counter.

"Do you even need to ask?" David smiled.

"Register it is," Mush smiled getting the cleaner out and wiping down the glass. The menial task was a favorite chore of his since he could get lost in thought.

_"Mush, I'm sorry, but it's over," Erin said not even shedding a tear._

_"Erin, why?" he asked, not understanding._

_"The romance is gone, I can't help it. I mean we could try to keep it going, but you'd be miserable and so would I," She said trying to break it off as gently as possible._

_"Is it because I'm not rich like you?" _

_"Nicholas Meyers, you know for a fact that I'd never break up with you for something as trivial as that!" Erin exclaimed in disbelief._

_"Well, that's the only thing I can think of because I'm not buying the 'romance is dead' gag."_

_"Buy it or not it's the truth."_

_"Did you meet someone else?" Mush asked accusingly._

_"Nick…"_

"Nick…MUSH!" David yelled.

"Ah, what?" Mush asked snapping out of his thoughts.

"I asked you to unlock the door, it's time to open," David said looking at his friend strangely.

"Oh, yeah sorry," Mush said grabbing the key.

"What's with you today?"

"Sorry, I had a long night."

"Out with your latest girl?" David smirked. Mush hadn't gotten his nickname for nothing. He was known as quite the ladies' man around Manhattan, and probably more than one other borough.

"Yeah…yeah that's it," Mush said stumbling over the words.

"Uh huh, just open the door aight?"

"Yes boss," Mush smirked, that wasn't the reason that he was so out of it but if David wanted to think that, then let him. It had been about 2 months since Mush and Erin Conlon had parted ways and 1 month since he'd started dating Hannah. He liked her a lot, although the fact that she worked at the Conlon mansion wasn't so pleasant. Mush opened the door to the bakery to the public and went behind the counter to start the day's business.

* * *

Erin was sitting in the parlor when Hannah entered.

"A reporter is outside to see you ma'am," the maid announced as she crossed the threshold.

"A reporter, whatever for?" Erin asked surprised.

"She says she heard about the murder."

"Already, can't they leave it be out of respect for the dead?" Erin asked standing to her feet.

"I don't know ma'am would you like me to tell her to leave?"

"No, I'll speak to her, send her in please," Erin said decidedly.

"Yes ma'am," Hannah said turning around to leave and returning a moment later with a reporter. The girl was a petite 5' 2" with long blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Hello, I'm the lady of the house, can I help you?" Erin said somewhat shortly.

"Yeah, I hear there's been a murder here, I came to get your feelings on it. By the way the name's Abby McLeod."

"Well, Miss McLeod, I am sorry to inform you that my family is not giving interviews about this personal tragedy just yet. However if you wish to come back next week, I'd be happy to have a chat with you," Erin told the reporter firmly.

"Really? Well, give me a ring when you decide on a time," Abby said in an irritated tone before leaving the mansion. Erin collapsed in a very unladylike manner onto the couch heaving a sigh of frustration.

"Ahem," a voice said from the doorway.

"Is next week not soon enough for you?" Erin snapped as she looked to the door to find Jack standing there.

"Something bothering you?" he asked with a smirk.

"My apologies Mr. Kelly, I thought you were the media."

"It's quite all right Miss Conlon," he smiled. "But please call me Jack."

"Only if you call me Erin."

"Okay, Erin, if it's all right with you, I'd like to see the scene of the crime again."

"Of course, it's still intact. The police didn't do much except remove…the body from the study," Erin told him choking up a bit before composing herself. "Would you care to join us for lunch?"

"I'd be delighted." Jack smiled.

"I'll have Hannah come and fetch you then."

"That sounds wonderful, now if you'll excuse me," Jack said making his way up the stairs. Erin sat on the couch again and picked up the needlework she'd been working on when she heard a knock at the door.

"Will I never get a moment's peace?" She asked herself. Zoey had been walking past the foyer when she heard the knock at the door. She turned to answer the door and found her childhood friend standing on the step.

"Race, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Spot."

"Come in," she said chuckling before leading him to the parlor.

"Racetrack, what can I do for you?" Erin asked standing to her feet, again.

"I'm looking for Spot, is he here?" Race asked walking over to Erin.

"He's not at the moment, though he should be home any minute now."

"Do you know about how long?"

"Uh he said he should be back around 11."

"Okay, would you mind if I waited?"

"Not at all, have a seat," Erin said as she sat again.

"Thanks," Race said sitting down across from her.

"Is it anything I can help you with?" Erin asked hating the fact that Racetrack was waiting.

"Thanks, but Spot'd-"

"Have your head if you told me right?"

"Unfortunately, yeah."

"Surprise, surprise," She said standing. "If you'll excuse me, I need to attend to something."

"Not at all," Race said standing as well until she left the room. Racetrack worked for Spot as a mole, a card shark in honesty. He frequented the casinos around Brooklyn and Manhattan watching the people who owed money to Spot. Race would relay information on to Spot who would then decide if the person needed "convincing" to pay up. Though Spot was small, he was one of the fiercest fighters in Brooklyn and those under him feared him because of it.

Back in Brooklyn, Spot was walking back to the mansion. He'd just met with David Jacobs, who worked the bakery that Spot owned. He'd just walked in the door when Hannah stopped him.

"Racetrack is in the parlor to see you," She said.

"He is? Thank you Hannah, make sure my office is clear and let me know, aight?"

"Yes sir," Hannah said going up to the office immediately to make sure everything was all right.

"Race, what brings you here?" Spot asked entering the parlor.

"Uh some stuff that concerns you,"

"What kind of stuff, Race?"

"Stuff that shouldn't be talked about here."

"Come on then," Spot said leading the way upstairs and meeting Hannah on the way down. "How's it look?"

"It's clear sir," She replied.

"Not like last time?"

"No sir," Hannah said looking down shame written across her face. The last time Spot asked her to check his office, she'd missed a bug and it had nearly cost Spot his life.

"Okay then. Race," Spot said ushering Racetrack into his office.

After they had finished discussing their business, they walked down the hall and passed the study to see Jack and Erin looking over everything.

"How's it going?" Spot asked Jack.

"I've got some clues," Jack said. "Like the knife is a knife that was meant to be thrown. A male who was standing approximately 5' 9" tall threw it while standing by the window."

"You got all of that by snooping around here?" Racetrack asked, visibly impressed by Jack Kelly's detective skills.

"No, I visited the morgue this morning," Jack smiled.

"Oh…well, it's noon, so we should head down for lunch," Erin said breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the small group.

"Yeah, lunch is good," Race added.

After lunch, Jack decided to interview the people who were there, this meant that no one was allowed to leave the estate. Since Spot and Race were the most likely to leave first, Jack chose Spot as the first one.

"Spot, where were you the afternoon of the murder?" Jack asked taking out his notepad.

"I was at the tracks," he said matter-of-factly.

"And what were you doing there?"

"What most people do at the tracks; I was watching a race. Plenty of people saw me." Spot smirked.

"Such as?" Jack prodded.

"Higgins, Pauly, Sam, you need any more?"

"Higgins, as in Racetrack Higgins?"

"That would be the one."

"Okay, did you have any reason to want Mr. Kloppman dead?"

"No, he was like a father."

"And he never made you mad or frustrated with him?"

"Not enough to want to kill him."

"Very well, thank you," Jack said scribbling some notes in the pad. "Will you send in Mr. Higgins please?"

"Right away, sir," Spot smirked as he left and sending Racetrack in.

"Mr. Higgins, can you tell me where you were yesterday afternoon?" Jack asked as soon as Racetrack was seated.

"I believe I was at the races."

"You believe, you weren't sure?"

"I'm 100 sure I was there, as I was the day before that, and the day before that," Racetrack said smirking.

"So it would be safe to say that you go to the races every day, then?" Jack asked somewhat suspiciously.

"Not every day."

"Where do you go on the days that you're not there?"

"I go to the bars, I go to bed, and I go to the bathroom."

"Mr. Higgins, please this is serious."

"I get around."

"Get around? Define around."

"As in around town…"

"And do you have any reason at all to want Mr. Kloppman dead?"

"Nope, I only saw him when I came here to visit Spot. He usually answered the door."

"Thank you Mr. Higgins that will be all."

"Aight then," Racetrack said standing to his feet. Jack was about to call Erin in when a knock sounded at the door. Zoey appeared in the parlor moments later to announce the visitor.

"I found this reporter snooping around outside," She said an irritated look on her face.

"Spot, can you help?" Erin asked.

"Miss Conlon, I have been trying to get an interview with you for months now," Abby said exasperatedly.

"Please excuse us…"

"McLeod, Abigail McLeod," Abby spoke up.

"Miss McLeod, but we've just experienced a personal tragedy and would like to be left alone," Spot said firmly.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't leave?"

"You don't want to know what happens to people who go against me."

"You really don't," Racetrack added.

"Boys, not here, not now," Erin scolded. "Like previously stated, we've experienced a personal tragedy and our nerves are all shot right now…so if you could please wait until next week?"

"My apologies," Abby said stiffly walking out of the mansion for the second time that day.

"Right this way Miss," Zoey said showing Abby to the door.

"Now where were we?" Erin asked.

"I was just about to ask you a few questions," Jack said.

"What can I do for you?" She smiled.

"Where were you the afternoon of the murder?"

"I had run out to have lunch with some friends and then I came home and found him in the study," Erin told him.

"Are any of these friends still in town?" Jack asked.

"Unfortunately no, that was why we met, they were leaving that evening and we wanted to catch up before they left."

"Is there any reason as to why you would want Mr. Kloppman dead?"

"No! He was like a father to Spot and I. We had our disagreements of course, but I'd never want him dead." Erin said horror evident in her voice.

"Of course, I'm just making sure," He smiled.

"My apologies, my nerves are shot right now."

"It's understandable."

"Is there anything else you needed to ask?"

"No, thank you Erin."

"My pleasure Jack," Erin smiled looking up into his hazel eyes, realizing for the first time that they were very pretty. The two stood there looking at each other for a moment before quickly parting ways.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to do some snooping around town," Jack announced.

"It's quite all right. Let us know if we can do anything to help," Erin said walking him to the door.

"I will," Jack winked at her.


	3. Tres

**And here we have chapter 3. In which the plot thickens, new characters are introduced, and family ties are questioned. **

* * *

In City Hall, Jack was digging through files on the Conlon family. What he found was quite interesting indeed. Despite having known the Conlon's older, and to this point unknown, half-brother Skittery for most of his life, Jack was amazed that Skits was related to the biggest crime family in Brooklyn. He wondered how Skits had kept it a secret for all those years. He also learned that while Kloppman was the butler for the Conlon family, he acted as more of a chaperone/ father figure for Erin and Spot before Spot took over his father's place in the "family business".

"So that's why they were so attached to the old man," Jack said quietly.

"Mr. Kelly, is everything all right?" the girl working the file room asked when she heard him talking to himself.

"Yes, thank you. Good day," Jack told her as he hastily made his exit. He needed to get to Central Park to clear his head.

Also in Manhattan that day, Erin Conlon was out at the fashion district being measured for a dress for the social event of the season. As the public figure for the family, she had to be well dressed and there was no place like 5th Avenue to get ready. Although, she was risking a great deal of wrath if Spot found out since she wasn't supposed to leave without Gabriel, but it was an emergency since she wouldn't get another opening like this until well after the ball. So taking the risk, she went out via taxi to the appointment. Now after she'd had lunch she was ready to head back to Brooklyn. Being a beautiful young lady in New York had its perks, especially when you had your choice of taxis vying for your attention and money. Without hesitation, she got into the first one she saw who started to drive immediately.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked in a thick New York accent.

"61 Poplar Street, Brooklyn, please," Erin smiled looking up at the cabbie for the first time since she'd entered the bright yellow car. He was an attractive sort, curly brown hair and brown eyes that scanned the traffic with a watchful although slightly nervous eye.

"Brooklyn eh?" the cabbie asked.

"Yes, I live there," Erin told him. "I'm Erin."

"Michael. I'd shake your hand but I don't want to wreck this thing," he chuckled looking at her in the rearview mirror.

"I appreciate that."

"I'm sure you do. So what brings you to this part of city?" Michael asked trying to inconspicuously look at her left hand for a ring.

"Shopping. Are you from Manhattan?"

"Yeah, my mom raised me there on her own after her and my dad—eh you don't want to listen to my sob story," Michael chuckled making his way over the Brooklyn Bridge.

"Well I don't know about that. You seem like a nice guy…maybe you'd like to have dinner sometime in the near future?" Erin asked slightly unsure of herself. She usually wasn't the type to initiate things, but it had been a while since she'd broken things off with Mush and she wanted to have fun.

"All right, sounds good to me."

"Shall I meet you somewhere?" Erin asked with a grin.

"I know of a nice place in Brooklyn Heights called Armando's if you want to meet me there."

"All right, what day?"

"Thursday good for you? I get off at 4 so I could meet you there for dinner?" Michael suggested as they pulled up to the mansion.

"Perfect, I'll see you then," Erin smiled as she collected her things while Michael stared awestruck at the building. Erin had often seen this reaction to the sheer magnificence of the structure and paid it no mind.

"Say what did you say your name was again?" Michael asked finding his voice.

"Erin, Erin Conlon," she smiled handing him a very generous tip as she figured it was the first time he'd met a socialite and was therefore dumbstruck. "I'll see you Thursday."

Michael simply shook his head. He hadn't seen that building for over 20 years, but he certainly remembered it. He wondered briefly if the tile in the entry way was still the same slippery black and white pattern he remembered.

_ Wait_, he thought to himself, _she said her name was Conlon. Way to go Skits!_

As Erin cautiously made her way inside, she paused briefly before entering the kitchen to the shock of the staff.

"Miss Conlon," Zoey gasped standing immediately to her feet.

"It's all right Zoey, I was just wondering if Spot had returned home yet," Erin smiled motioning for Zoey to return to her meal.

"No ma'am he's not, but the detective telephoned…Jack Kelly. He asked you to call when you got in."

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"No ma'am but the number is in the parlor."

"Thank you Zoey," Erin said turning to walk into the parlor. Erin picked up the phone and dialed the number sitting on the table only to be told that he wasn't in and wasn't expected until the next day.

* * *

Skittery walked into the Maroon Moose Club late that evening. After the war it had become the place where a group of friends from Skit's childhood hung out after the end of the day. Now needing a very stiff drink, he made his way to his usual spot at the bar.

"Hey Skits, usual drink?" the bar-tender, Jace McLeod asked.

"Nah, give me a shot of whiskey," Skittery said leaning on the polished wood.

"Rough day?" Jace chuckled.

"You could say that. Ever meet someone and then find out you already knew them?"

"I don't know?"

"Like you meet a girl only to find out that you're distantly related?" Skittery asked trying not to give too much away.

"You met up with distant family?" a new feminine voice asked.

"Yeah Abby," he sighed downing the amber liquid.

"Hey there beautiful," Jace smiled leaning over the bar.

"Hey back at ya handsome," Abby replied standing on the brass bar near the floor so that she could lean across the counter to plant a kiss on Jace.

"You know, if people didn't know you were married, they might think that Jace has a lot of luck," Skittery chuckled.

"That's the plan, ain't it Jace?" Jack laughed coming up.

"Of course Jacky Boy."

"Hey Skits, how's it goin?" Jack asked seeing his friend in a whole new light.

"He's being Mr. Glum again," Abby teased. Skittery shot her a look before answering Jack.

"I've had a rough day."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, actually can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, what's goin on?" Jack asked a worried expression crossing his features.

"Well you know when we were kids and I always said my dad died during the Depression?"

"Yeah, a lot of our dad's did; what about it?" Jack asked.

"I lied. He wasn't dead. My mom found out about what he did for a living and she left him. I got to see him a few times but he remarried and Mom freaked out even more. Apparently they had kids, and well this girl asked me out on a date and I agreed and then I found out she's my sister."

"Oh, that has to be awkward," Jack winced.

"Yeah, I guess she doesn't know about me, but I still don't know how to get out of it."

"Which is tough because she's pretty."

"Ye-wait how do you know?"

"Well the Conlon family lost their butler recently, and they hired me to find out what happened. I did some digging and found your name in a file."

"But we changed our name."

"It was your mother's maiden name; it wasn't that hard to figure out," Jack laughed.

"If you don't mind Jacky Boy, keep a lid on it all right?" Skittery asked.

"All right, but they need to know."

"Yeah, that way there can be a huge inheritance dispute in which the great Spot Conlon would send his goons after me."

"He's not that bad."

"Because you know him so well, right?"

"I've talked to him," Jack said defending himself.

"Uh huh, sure Jacky Boy."

"I have thank you, just not very much because he's intimidating for someone so small."

"Which is exactly my point! For all I know Spot will send his goons after me to keep me out of the way," Skittery said shuddering at the thought.

"What about making sure that you're not after that?"

"I don't know…it…it's a tricky place to be in."

"Yeah, you've got my word that I won't say anything though. Out of curiosity, would you have any reason to want their butler dead?" Jack asked trying to broach the subject carefully.

"Uh, yeah Jack, I haven't seen the man since I was 5. Why would I want him dead?"

"Maybe he threatened to tell Spot about you?"

"Like I said I haven't seen the man in 20 years. Why do you want to know?" Skittery asked raising an eyebrow.

"He was killed with a throwing knife."

"You know, I'm not the only one who can do that, Jack."

"Yeah, I know, but I there aren't a bunch of people who know the Conlon family."

"So because I share the name, I killed the old man? You know with that kind of logic I'm surprised you actually got a Private Detective license. I really thought better of you Jack, but never mind," Skittery sighed standing to his feet.

"If you would listen to me, you'd know that I'm not accusing you, but I still gotta ask. It's part of my job."

"Yeah, sure. I'll talk to you later Jack."

While Skittery vacated the premises storming off, Jack made his way back to the bar where Jace slid him a drink.

"What is that all about?" Abby asked watching the scene.

"It was a slight disagreement Abs. You know how he is."

"Yeah, and I know how you are," Abby smiled.

"You know Jace, this blonde of yours is too nosy for her own good," Jack smirked draping an arm around Abby's thin shoulders.

"Yes, well when all of you soldier boys came home, you made it very difficult for me to keep my job."

"Well you know that was my main reason for coming back," Jack smirked. "What about you Jace?"

"I don't know about you, but I wanted to be with my wife that I left right after our wedding," Jace grinned.

"Small group tonight," Abby commented looking around and noticing that half of their group was not there.

"Well Davie's got that bakery now, and from what I've heard Mush is working for him. Scuttlebutt from Davie is that Mush ain't doin so good," Jace said.

"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked.

"Well David said he's been showing up late and hung over like he's been hitting the bottle kinda hard as of late."

"Poor Mushie," Abby sighed.

"He was like this during the war too."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked

"Well we'd just seen action and he was shaken up…hit the bottle hard. I had to kick him out of the Officer's mess a few times," Jace shook his head.

"Why did you do that?" Abby asked having never heard this story before.

"I was his commanding officer, Abs."

"Well I guess you'd know then, huh?"

"I guess so. He was pretty shaken up about having to kill another person."

"Lot of us were," Jack shook his head.

"You got that right Cowboy," Jace smiled.

"You boys and your nicknames," Abby shook her head.

"When you have to bond quickly, that's one way to do it," Jack pointed out. "Especially when you need trust and to not be viewed as the boss."

"The boss?" Abby asked.

"Yeah, when people only see your rank and not the person underneath."

"Maybe I should have joined the WACs, and then I'd get all the army talk."

"Don't say that Abs," Jace shook his head.

"Really? You're going to go off on that now?"

Jace and Abby had argued many times over that very subject. Abby was a very driven woman who wanted to do things with her career, while Jace held more to the older school of thought that the workplace was a man's domain.

"Be glad you didn't have to see all the gore Abby," Jack interjected before a fight could break out.

"Why because my weak feminine constitution couldn't handle it?" Abby snapped her green eyes alight with ferocity.

"No, because no one should have to witness that. I was there when they liberated the Nazi camps…it disgusted me that one human could do that to another."

Abby was taken aback. She'd never seen Jack with that look before and frankly it scared her.

"Why don't you head on home," Jace suggested as he leaned over the bar to kiss her cheek.

"All right, good night boys," Abby smiled as she left.

"And on that note, I gotta get going too. I have to figure out who killed a butler," Jack smirked tossing back the dredges of his drink.

"Aight Kelly, later."

"Later McLeod," Jack chuckled leaving the bar. The night was foggy and starting to get chilly. While he stood on the street corner trying to light a cigarette, he heard the shuffle of feet that stopped behind him. As inconspicuously as possible, he reached for the gun hidden inside his coat.

"Jack Kelly?" A voice asked.

"Who wants to know?" Jack replied keeping the brim of his hat low.

"Don't ya remember me Cowboy?"

"Les?" Jack asked in surprise. Last he heard the kid had joined the Albany Police Force. Though, the man standing in front of him did certainly resemble the kid who had followed him and David around when they were young.

"How've you been?" Les asked shaking Jack from his thoughts.

"Good, when did you get into town?"

"Couple of days ago, I transferred here."

"Oh yeah? Have you seen your family yet?"

"Nah, I've been settling in. I've talked to them, just haven't had a chance to visit yet."

"I need to stop by soon and say hello myself. So where are you living now?" Jack asked.

"With Mush, he kinda needs the help right now if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, Jace mentioned that he wasn't doing very well. He didn't say anything about you living there though."

"Mush probably forgot to tell him. I haven't been there much," Les shrugged.

"Where have you been then?" Jack asked his detective nature finding that highly suspicious.

"Getting my stuff shipped in and reporting to the chief," the younger man replied looking around nervously. "Anyway, I've got to go Cowboy. I'll see you later!"

Jack watched him walk off quietly and shook his head, meandering toward his office. When he entered the small place he rented, he found Sarah packing up to leave for the night.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see him.

"Working, that's what most people do at an office," Jack replied cheekily.

"Coming in awfully late aren't you?"

"A case never sleeps Sar, you should know that by now."

And indeed she did. She had spent enough times working all hours of the night with Jack trying to find that one final, miniscule clue that would point a smoking gun in someone's direction. Though from the lack of diagrams on the wall, she assumed that he wasn't that deep into the case just yet.

"Do you need me to stay?" Sarah asked. She didn't want to, but she would if he needed her to.

"No, go have fun on your date."

"How do you know I'm going on a date?"

"You're wearing a new dress and your hair isn't in its usual workday bun," Jack grinned, suppressing the urge to add, "elementary my dear Watson." Sarah looked down as a blush crept into her cheeks. She was going to meet Spot, but she would rather Jack not know about their relationship until things became a little more serious.

"It's nice to see you get dolled up again," Jack smiled.

"Goodnight boss," she said shaking her head. Jack walked into his office to work on the case. However, instead of behaving, his thoughts turned to Less and the boys sudden reappearance.

* * *

**So, I would like to throw something out there for all of you readers, you do exist right? I would love some feedback on this. Like it, love it, hate it, found something wrong...anything just let me know that you're there. Now I'm not going to threaten to not update until I get something because that just seems immature to me and I write because I like it not necessarily to please anyone. That being said knowing where to improve would be helpful. If you do decide to leave criticism, all I ask is that you tell me what was wrong and how I might fix it. Thank you all and goodnight  
**


End file.
